Agenda - 08-21-2007-Well - Laserfiche WebLink

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.~ n-E'o~m9 -~ i an ~~' ~m H~~~6 North Carolina Public Health ORANGE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT Rosemary L. Summers, MPH, DrPH Health Director Richard E. Whiffed Human Services Center 300 West Tryon Street Post Office Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Phone: (919) 245-2411 Fax: (919) 644-3007 www. co, orange. nc. us/health Central Administrative Services Dental Health Services Environmental Health Services Health Promotion and Education Services Personal Health Services 306-C Revere Road P 0 Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Phone: (919) 245-2360 FAX: (919) 644-3006 U .~ ±~ v x c a~ E c 0 .~ c w Report to the Orange County Board of Commissioners Subject : No Fault Well Repair Fund Update Date: August 8, 2007 From: Tom Konsler, Environmental Health Director Through: Rosemary Summers, Health Director Copies: Orange County Board of Health, Orange County Manager, Orange County Planning Director In 2001, American Stone Company and OWASA applied for and received a special use permit for the continued use of the American Stone Quarry until the end of 2030. After that date, OWASA will operate the facility as a reservoir. The Quarry is located approximately 5 miles west of Carrboro on Hwy 54. As a condition of the special use permit, American Stone established a "No Fault Well Repair Fund" (NFWRF) for those residents whose property is within 3,000 feet of the perimeter of the quarry and who experience well failures not directly attributable to the quarry operation. The initial fund amount was $87,500 and can be augmented by $20,000 per year as needed to meet the community needs. Well failures that area "probable result" of the quarry operation must be handled exclusively by American Stone at their expense. To our knowledge, there have been no failures that have been attributed to quarry operations. In 2002, The Board of Health (January, 2002) and the Board of County Commissioners (June 4, 2002) adopted a policy and implementation process for this fund. The policy has provisions for well repair, renovation, treatment or replacement; including a schedule that allows for replacement of the well pump. OCHD environmental health staff members have responsiblilites in providing sampling services, technical assistance, consultation regarding remedies, and determination of well failure. Purchasing and Central Services secures and manages contracts with certified well contractors for actual repairs or replacement after environmental health staff members authorize the work. The Board of Health is the avenue of appeals for those residents who are not satisfied with the process. In 2003, staff proposed to the Board of Health an alternative to well replacement, repair, or water treatment if a well had detectable levels of arsenic but those levels were still below the recommended drinking water limit. If the well was otherwise satisfactory, the homeowner would receive bottled water to be paid by the NFWRF. This alternative was devised due in~ part to the lack of proven water treatment technologies for arsenic removal. There are currently 10 homes participating in the bottled water program. The BOH approved this component with the idea it would be reviewed every 2 years for continuation or revisions. Since there are now acceptable treatment technologies available for removal of arsenic, this part of the program will be phased out. Environmental Health staff is currently assessing these 10 homes for water quality and will soon propose treatment alternatives for those homes as appropriate. Information about the No Fault Well Repair Fund is posted on the Health Department website with contact information and an application for water samples and claims. Inquiries to the Health Department average about 1 call per month and investigations referred to American Stone number about 2 per year. To date, approximately $73,000 has been paid out from the fund and a balance of $44,331 is currently available from the original allocation. Additional funds have been received from OWASA ($45,304) and from earned interest ($8,054). According to the budget staff, the additional funds and interest have not been through a budget amendment to date. Please refer to the attached summary report for remedies and expenses provided from inception through June 2007.